Process of producing planographic printing-plates.



JIAI HI PROCESS OF PRODUCINGv PLANOGRAPHIC PRINTING PLATES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR 17. I911- Patented Aug. 24, 1915.

' -ITE STATES FATE? 1 JOSEPH ARTHUR HENRY HATT, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO HUGO KNUDSEN,

' OE BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

' PROCESS OF PRODUCING PLANOGRAPHIO PRINTING-PLATES.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Josnrn ARTHUR I HENRY HATT, a citizen of the United States,

residing in the borough of Brooklyn, in the city and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Processes of Producing Planographic Printing-Plates, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to planographic printing plates and a method of producing such plates, 7

Objects of the invention are to produce a novel planographic printing plate having superior properties as a printing plate, and at the same time providing a plate of unusual durability, and unusual clearness and sharpness of design; and to provide such a plate which has a firm, unyielding foundation or base for the design, and which has the non-design part freely water taking. Such a plate will'operate with a very light squeeze on the press, and possesses unusual ink and water takingproperties upon the design and non-design parts of the plate, respectively. These and other objects of invention will appear in part more fully hereinafter, and will be in part apparent to those skilled in the art.

The invention consists in the novel parts, articles, combinations, steps, processes and improvements, herein shown and described.

The accompanying drawings are diagram-,

matic in character, and designed to in some degree elucidate and illustrate the process of making and the structure vof plate provided by my invention.

Of the drawings: Figure .1 shows the late without a design; Fig. 2 shows the esign on the plate; Fig. 3 shows the plate with the non-design parts of the surface removed; and Fig. 4 shows the electro-deposite 1i non-design part of the surface upon the p ate.

In carrying out my invention, I take a plate of planographic metal 1, such as zinc 'or aluminum, having a relatively firm and compacted surface, and which surface has not been grained to. prepare it to take the water and thus become ink-rejecting during the printing. The surface of the plate is smooth, or practically smooth, and is of a firm and unyielding character. Such a surface is easy to transfer to, or for the artist Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 17, 1911.

Patented Aug. 2%, 1915.

Serial No. 615,064.

to work upon, afi'ording him all the facilitv of the stone for erasures and changes as would be the case were he working upon stone. Such a plate also furnishes a firm foundation or base for the design, thereby producing results of very high quality. Upon this firm surface the design 2 of fatty or other design material is placed in a suit able manner as by the artist, or light or actinic action, or by transfer in the manner common inlithography. Upon the nondesign portions of the plate a different character of surface is placed or prepared in a layer, wh1ch is non-compacted or granular, and which is readily water-taking and inkrejecting. This layer in the preferred form of parrylng out my process is electro-deposlted upon the non-design portions after the design has been placed upon the plate as above stated.

In the accompanying dragrams I' have shown and also described the non-design parts of the plate as being chemically dissolved away to a lower level, the new layer of granular structure then being deposited thereon. In accordance with certain features of the invention, however, the layer 89 which is to constitute the non-design parts of the surface of the plate may be deposited thereon without first dissolving or lowering the level of the original plate; said layer in such case being above the level of the orig inal plate. After the design is placed upon the surface of the plate, the design is protected by a suitable acid-resisting material, such as rosin, ta1c, melted dragons blood, or other suitable resistant material. With the design so protected the plate is placed in a chemical or acid bath for the purpose of dissolving orremoving the non-design portions of the surface of the plate, thus reducing said non-design portions to a slightly lower level than the design portion of the surface of the plate. This bath serves also to thoroughly clean the non-design portions of the surface of the plate, and also to grain or roughen the non-design portions of said surface to afford a good hold for the layer of granular planographic metal to be deposited thereon. The plate is removed from the chemical bath and at this stage, it will be understood, the design is carried upon the original smooth, or non-grained surface of 4s graphic printing plate which comprises takto be deposited thereon.

5 the-plate while ;the non-design portions. of the-surface of the plate have been removed,

or dissolved-away. Thatis the non-design portionsare at a'lower level than the portions of the surface of the plate upon which the design is carried, and'in condition to receive and hold the layer of metal which is The non-design I portions of the. surface when removed from the bath are thoroughly clean, and slightly roughened, thereby providing fan excellent 1 :holdingsurface upon which the desirerllflayer it is of metal may be electro-deposited.

' notdesired to dissolve the surface away to a lower level, the bath or its action may be modified'sothatsaid non-design portions of e the plate .ened, but not to any appreciable extent dIS In this condition,

--=tlhe plate is placedkin an electrolytic bath graphic manner.

-- cleaned by removing the resist and old ink in a suitable mannen'asby means of turpen-' tine, when the plate may be rolled up and is then ready for printing.

' surface.

. a granular form.

portions of said plate to are cleaned and somewhat roughsolved to a lower level.

and a deposit of Zinc or otherplanographic metal, is made upon the non-design parts in The degree of coarseness or fineness of this deposit can be regulated by the voltage of the current employed.

' The surface of the non-design portions of theplate can then have this electrically deposited layer built up to the desired thick- 'ness either tothe height of the original sur-' face of the plate,

if'desired, or if desired, a little higher still. The plate is then pre pared for-printing acid gum solution, substantially as is done withstone and metal plates, as for example with a mixed solution of chromic acid, phosphpric acid, gum arabic and water. The plate is also gummed in the usual litho- The design may be What I do claim as my invention and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is:

1. The process of producing a planoing a metal platehaving an ungrained and relatively smooth and compacted surface, placing a design upon said surface in an ink receiving material, removing the non-design portions of said plate to a lower'level and covering said lowered non-design portion I I with granular or non-compacted metal in the solid state, to constitute 'the 1nk-re ect1ng and water-taking element of the printing 2. The process of producing a planoaphic printing plate which comprlses taking 'a metal'plate having an ungrained and relatively smooth .and compacted. surface, I placing a design-upon said surface in an ink receiving material, removing the non-design covering said lowered non-design portion by electro-deposition \with granular or nonelectro-depositing on the non-desi by treating it with an taking element of "receiving material,

aylower level and non-design portions of said plate to a lower compacted metal'in'the solid'state, to constitute the ink-rejecting and water-taking element of the printing surface.

3. The processof producing a .planographic printing plate whichcomprises takmg a metal plate having an ungrained-and' relatively smooth, and compacted surface,

placing a design upon said surface in an ink receiving material, etching the surface of the non-design portions of the plate, and covering'the non-design portions of said'surface tions of said surface of the plate a ayer of granular ornon-compacted metal in the solid state to constitute the ink-rejecting and pater-taking element of the printing surace.- 7

5. The process of producing a planegraphie prlnting plate which comprises taking a metal plate having an ungrained and relatively smooth and placing a design uponsaid surfacein an ink receiving material; removing the non-design portions of said plate to a lower level, roughening the surface of the non-design portions of the plate and covering said loweredand' roughened. non-design portion with granular or non-compacted metal in the solid state to constitute the ink-re'ecting and waterth eprinting surface I "6. The process of producing a planegraphic printing plate which comprises taking a metal plate having an ungrained and relatively smooth and compacted surface,

placing a deslgn upon said surface in an 111k receiving material, removing the non-design portions of said platev to a lower level, roughening the surface of the non-design portions 0 the plate and covering said lowporcompacted surface,

the surface of fi and roughened non-design portion-by electro-deposition with granular or. noncompacted metal in the solid state to constitute the ink-rejecting and water-taking ele ment of theprinting surface.

7. The process of producing a planographic printing plate which comprises taking a metal plate having an ungrained and relatively smooth and compacted surface, placing a design upon said surfacein an inkchemically dissolving the level and covering said lowered non-design:

portion by electro-deposition with granular or non-compacted metal in the solid state, to

constitute the-ink-rejecting and water-taking element of the printing surface.

8. The process of producing a planoing a plate having a relatively dense and compacted surface and placing a design thereon and removing the non-design portions of the surface and substituting there- 10 for a relatively granular and non-compacted a graphic printing plate'which comprises tak-- 

